Power sickle mower



March 17, 1953 Filed May 2, 1949 J. M. MICHAELSON POWER SICKLE MOWER 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

(Ase m4, NiC/zae/Sonr March .17, 1953 J. M. MICHAELSON POWER SICKLE MOWER Filed May 2, 1949 Y s Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR. Jose a Michae/son/ March 17, 1953 J. M. MICHAELSON 2,631,422

. POWER SICKLE MOWER Filed May 2,1949 5 Sheets-Sheet s IN VEN TOR. Joseph Mic [he son,

March 17, 1953 J- M. MICHAELSON 2,631,422

POWER SICKLE MOWER Filed May 2, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 'INVENTOR.- Joseph M. m lra /Son,

March 17, 1953 J. M. MICHAELSON POWER SICKLE MOWER Filed May 2, 19.49 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR- OSep/p Michele/5 w Patented Mar. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My present invention relates to improvements in power mowing machines and, more particularly, to a mowing machine of the tractor type employing a reciprocating sickle.

An object of this invention is to provide a rocker shaft drive for the sickle.

Another object of this invention is to provide a counterweight on the rocker shaft that exactly balances the sickle, thereby eliminating vibra tion and also performing another important function in that it acts as a divider to throw grass as it is cut, to either side to prevent bunching thereof on the nose of the hood.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel clutch and release in the driving connections for the sickle bar that permits idling of the engine, without operating the sickle bar, 1 and also permits travel of the mower, without operating the sickle bar, and undue wear thereon.

To the above end, generally stated, the invention consists of the novel devices and combination of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the invention, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the improved mowing machine;

Fig. 2 is a right side elevational view of the' same;

Fig. 3 is a rear elevational view of the mowing machine with some parts removed;

Fig. 4 is an elevational view of the right handle bar removed from the mower and the traction clutch and grip-operated connections therefor;

Fig. 5 is an elevational View of the left-hand handle bar, sickle bar clutch and operating connections therefor, the tie rods for the handle .bars being shown in section;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail view principally. in rear elevation with some parts sectioned on the line 66 of Fig. 1;

Fig. '7 is a side elevational view of the parts shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view partly in rear elevation and partly in section taken on the line 88 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the mower frame;

Fig. 10 is a right side elevational view of the same; and

Fig. 11 is a rear elevational view of the mower frame.

The main frame [2 of the mower is in the form t .-of a tube that is square in cross-section. This frame I2 is forwardly and downwardly "inclined and the ends of said frame are in beveled par- I upright plate 25 and a reinforcing web 26.

allel relation in horizontal planes. A motor bed I 3, in the form of the flat plate, rests on the rear or upper end of the frame and is rigidly secured thereto. This motor bed l3 extends forwardly of the upper end of the frame l2 and its front end portion is turned downwardly to afford a support It rigidly secured to said frame. A thin upright plate 55 is rigidly secured to the forward end portion of the motor bed l3 and the frame 12 at the transverse center thereof.

A sleeve bearing 16 extends transversely through the plate is at the rear upper corner portion and a sleeve bearing ll extends transversely through the plate l5 at the upper front corner portion thereof. On the plate I5, at its central portion, is an elongated bearing sleeve l 3 that is upwardly and forwardly inclined. Reinforcing webs I9 rigidly connect the bearings l6, l7 and 8 to the plate 15. A flat plate 2%) extends transversely under the motor bed 13 forwardly of the upper end of the frame 112 and is rigidly secured thereto. This plate 29 extends materially outwardly of the frame i2 and the end portions thereof are upwardly and outwardly inclined to afford handle-bar-attac-hing members Reinforcing webs 22 rigidly connect the plate 20 the frame 12 and also afford a support for the motor bed i3. A plate 23 for attaching the cutting mechanism to the frame I2 extends under and forwardly of the front or lower end of said frame and is rigidly secured thereto. A tubular bearing 24 extends transversely under the frame l2 and is rigidly secured thereto by an The bearing 24 is directly below the motor bed support M.

The frame [2 is supported on a pair of ground wheels 21 equipped with pneumatic tires 28.

These wheels 2'! are mounted on an axle 29 jour- 'being mounted to turn about a horizontal axis as shown at 35. rigidly connected at their upper end portions by The handle bars 3! and 32 are a crosstie bar 3];

' "An internal combustion engine, indicated as an entirety by the numeral 3'8, with the exception of its crank shaft 39, is mounted on the bed I3. The axle 29 is driven from the engine 38 by the following connections, to wit: a V belt at runs over a small V pulley Al on the engine crank shaft 39 and a large V pulley 42 on a countershaft 43 journaled in the bearing I5. A V belt 44 runs over a small V pulley 45, on the opposite end of the countershaft 43 from the pulley 42, and a large pulley 45. This pulley 48 has a long hub 4'? journaled on a shaft 48 in the form of a large nut-equipped bolt mounted in the bearing I8. The belt 44 has sumcient slack to slip on the pulley 45 so that the same remains idle. The axle 29 is driven from the pulley 48 by a sprocket chain 49 that runs over,;-a :small sprocket wheel 59 on the hub 41 of the pulley 415 and a large sprocket wheel 39 on the axle '29.

A. roll 5| is provided for tightening the belt 44 to drive the pulley 45 by contacting and depressing the upper run of said belt. The roll 5| is journaled on the long arm 52 f a bell crank 53 pivoted on the outer end portion of the shaft 45.

The following connections are provided for operating the bell crank 53 by means of the control grip 35, to wit: the grip 35 is formed on a sleeve 54 turnably mounted on a tubular stud 55, which forms the outer end portion of the handle bar 32. The sleeve 55 and hence the grip 95 is held against axial movement on the stud 55 by a clip 55 that engages an outturned flange on the outer end of the sleeve 54. The clip 55 is secured to the spacing block 55 by a pair of machine screws 59. These screws 59 also secure the spacing block 58 and the stud 55 to the handle bar 32. A depending crank arm 59 is formed as a part of the flange 51. This crank arm 55 is connected to the long arm 5i of a bell crank 62 by a connecting rod 53. The crank arm BI is pivoted on a bearing 64 on the crosstie bar 31. A connecting rod 55 connects the short arm 55 of the bell crank 52 to one end of a lever 51 in the form of a flat plate intermediately pivoted to a bearing 58 in the handle bar 32. The connecting rod 65 is connected to the lever 51 by a yoke 59 that straddles said lever and is pivoted thereto. The connecting rod 55 has screw-threaded engagement with the transverse portion of the yoke 65 and .is held from turning by a lock nut Ill. A connecting rod II connects the lever 51, at its other end, to the short arm I2 of the bell crank 53. This connecting rod 'H is connected to the lever .61

and the short bell crank arm I2 by yokes I3 similar to the yoke 59 and lock nuts 53'. Obviously, by turning the grip 35 in the proper direction, the roll 55 may be forced into the belt 44 to tightenthe same by the connection just described.

A combined sickle mount and guard I4 for a sickle I5 is rigidly secured at its longitudinal center to the plate 23 on the front end of the frame E2. The sickle '55 has, at its longitudinal center, a head in the form of a yoke. The following connections are provided for reciprocating the sickle I5 from the motor-driven oountershaft 43, to wit: a V belt I'I runs over a V pulley F8 on said countershaft and a V pulley I9 on a shaft 85 journaled in the bearing IT. The belt IT, like the belt 44, has sufilcient slack to slip on the pulley I9 so that the same remains idle. Obviously, the belt I? and the pulleys I8 I. and .19. afford a manuallycontrolledslip connec- 4 tion. To tighten the belt 11, a roll 8| is provided to engage the upper run of said belt. This roll 8| is journaled on the long arm 82 of a lever 83 intermediately pivoted on the shaft 43. On the opposite end of the pitman shaft 89 from the pulley I9 is a crank in the form of a wheel 84. A rock shaft 85 is journaled in a rear bearing 86 on the frame I2 and a front bearing 81 on the plate 23. On the rear end of :the rock shaft 85 is a crank arm 88 having a stud 89 provided with a ball 90. This ball 90 is mounted in a two-part bearing 9| affording a socket on one end of a pitman 92 that includes a tubular member 93 integral with the bearing 9| and a screw- 'threaded"m-ember 94 having threaded engagement :withthe..member 93. A lock nut 95 on the screw-threaded member 94 impinges the adjacent end of the member 53. On the outer end of the pitman member 94, is a yoke 95 pivoted at 91 to a coupling 98 on the crank-pin "199 of the crank wheel 84. The yoke 96 andthe-coupling 58 afford a universal joint. The pivot 91 of the coupling 98 "extends transversely ,of "the crank pin 99 as the sameswing the crank .arm 88 to turn the rock shaft 85. By "screwing the pitman member 94 into and out of the pitman member 93, the operative length of the ipitman 92 maybe varied, at will.

On the outer end of the rock .shaft 85 is a depending rocker arm I09 having an an'ti-tfriction roller IUI that works in the head :16 for reciprocating the sickle '15. On the outer end portion of the rock shaft 85, directly above the rocker arm I90, is an upstanding counterweight I52. This counterweight exactly balances the sickle I5, thereby eliminating vibration. A hood I93, for the major portion of the mechanism of the mower, extends from a point above the axle 29 to the front bearingB'I for the rock shaft 85. The hood I03, at its front end, is fitted on and secured to a member I93 on the back of the bearing 81. A collar 85' on the rock shaft 85 back of the member I93, together with the counterweight I92, hold said countershaft against axial movement in the bearings 85 and 81. The counterweight I02 performs another important function in that it throws the grass, as it is cut by the sickle I5, to eithersidethereof and prevents bunching thereof "on the nose of the hood I03.

The following manually operated connections are provided for operating the lever '85 to either press theroller 81 onto the belt "I? to tighten the same to drive the pulley 19 or release the same, to wit: a handle .104 is mounted on the crosstie bar 31 toturn 'about'the long axis there- 'of and held between opposing collars I134. A connecting'rod 55 connects thefhandle I04 to the short arm [95 of the lever 83. 'The connecting rod I55 is adjustably connected 'to the arm I55 by a yoke IGI that straddles said arm a is pivoted thereto. The connecting .rod I55 has screw-threaded engagement with the yoke I01 to vary its operative length and is held by a lock nut I98 where adjusted. The'conne'cting rod 165 is curved at I99 to fit over the .crosstie rod 3'! when the handleClM .is positioned to tighten the belt F.

From the above description, it is evident that the handle .grip 55 permits operating the pulley 46 without letting'go of said handle grip. This .is important particularly. when the mower is travelling on rough ground or jona's'teepslope. "By voperating the handgrip' 35 to release the pulley 46, the engine 38 will simply idle. The handle 104 is within easy reach of the operator and by throwing the same forwardly, the pulley '19 will be released and hence stop the reciprocating movement of the Sickle E5; or by drawing the handle I04 rearwardly, said pulley is set. When the handle -2. is positioned to set the pulley 19, it is substantially in the plane of the connecting rod I05 and thereby locks the lever 83 with the roll 8| pressed onto the belt 77 to tighten the same, operates the pulley l9 and reciprocate the sickle 15.

The drawings illustrate a commercial form of the invention, but it will be understood that the same is capable of certain modifications as to details of construction, arrangement and comloination of parts Within the scope of the invention herein disclosed.

What I claim is: V

1. In a machine of the class described, an inclined frame in the form of a tube having on its under side a transverse tubular bearing, an axle journaled in the bearing, a pair of ground wheels on the axle, a motor bas on the upper end of the frame, a fixed plate on the lower end of the frame, a fixed upstanding plate on the frame extending longitudinally thereof, a front sleeve bearing and a rear sleeve bearing on the upstanding plate and extending transversely thereof, cutting mechanism mounted on the plate on the lower end of the frame, a motor on the base, a countershaft in th rear sleeve bearing, driving connections from the motor to the countershaft, a shaft in the front sleeve bearing, a manually controlled slip connection for driving the shaft from the countershaft, and means for operating the cutting mechanism from the shaft.

2. In a machine of the class described, a sickle having a head at its longitudinal center, a mount for the sickle, means for reciprocating the sickle including a driven transverse shaft, a longitudinal rock shaft between the sickle and the transverse shaft and having fixed at its inner end a crank arm and a rocker arm fixed to its outer end and attached to the head, a crank wheel fixed to the transverse shaft and having a crank pin, a coupling turnable on the crank pin, a pitman having on one end a yoke pivoted to the coupling to turn about an axis that extends transversely of the crank pin, and a ball and socket connecting the pitman at its he end to the crank arm.

JOSEPH M. MICHAELSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 864,846 Jenney Sept. 3, 1907 961,485 Dale et a1 June 14, 1910 1,188,810 Mitchell June 2'7, 1916 1,261,156 Norton Apr. 2, 1918 1,275,798 Tosch Aug. 13, 1918 1,383,850 Pitts July 5, 1921 1,650,668 Travers Nov. 29, 1927 1,902,524 Roth Mar. 21, 1933 2,190,161 Moyer Feb. 13, 1940 2,237,005 Kinkead Apr. 1, 1941 2,335,541 Running Nov. 30, 1943 2,448,074 Bishop Aug. 21, 1948 2,461,391 Osterhaus Feb. 8, 1949 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 194,947 Switzerland Mar. 22, 1923 

